Books From Your Therapist

In this episode, we're talking to licensed therapist and mental health writer Dr. Kathleen Smith about how to stop people pleasing and start being yourself. Kathleen's latest book True to You is a relatable self-help guide for people who want to learn to live less focused on others’ reactions and more confidently by their own principles. We chat about Bowen family systems theory and how learning more about your family can help you learn about yourself. Our second book is The Social Lives of Animals by Ashley Ward. In this book, biologist Ashley Ward takes us on a wild tour across the globe as he searches for a more accurate picture of how animals build societies. We chat about the social impulses of animals and how they be more connected to us than we think. If you’d like to reach out with your own recommendations or are a mental health practitioner interested in coming on to share, you can email us at booksfromyourtherapist@gmail.com.

In this episode, we're talking to Emma Stern about how to set lasting boundaries with the people in our life but also with ourselves.The books we chat about are Set Boundaries, Find Peace by Nedra Glover Tawwab and The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up by Marie Kondo.Set Boundaries, Find Peace by licensed counselor and relationship expert Nedra Glover Tawwab presents simple-yet-powerful ways to establish healthy boundaries in all aspects of life. The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up by Marie Kondo takes tidying to a whole new level, promising that if you properly simplify and organize your home once, you’ll never have to do it again.If you’d like to reach out with your own recommendations or are a mental health practitioner interested in coming on to share, you can email us at booksfromyourtherapist@gmail.com.

In this episode, we’re talking to Jess Barton, a research coordinator at the centre for youth bipolar disorder (CYBD). Jess conducts research amongst youth with or at high risk of developing bipolar disorder and it was really interesting to get insights from a different side of work within mental health. The books we chat about are Why We Sleep by Matthew Walker, PhD and Bravey by Alexi Pappas. In Why We Sleep, neuroscientist and sleep expert Dr. Matthew Walker provides an in-depth exploration of sleep, examining how it affects every aspect of our physical and mental well-being. And the second book, Bravey, is a memoir from Olympian Alexi Pappas who fearlessly and honestly shares her battle with post-Olympic depression and describes how she emerged on the other side as a thriving and self-actualized woman - a bravey. Jess also highlights a book written by youth at CYBD, called Never Alone: A Youth's Guide to Bipolar Disorder. If you’d like to reach out with your own recommendations or are a mental health practitioner interested in coming on to share, you can email us at booksfromyourtherapist@gmail.com.

In this episode, we’re talking about to Anna Goldfarb about her new book Modern Friendship. Anna is a prolific journalist and “Friendship Explainer” whose writing has appeared in The Atlantic, Time, Vice, The Cut, Vox, The Washington Post, and The New York Times. Modern Friendship is a definitive step-by-step guide to understanding the fundamental mechanics of friendship. Anna shares insights into what is pushing our friendships to the brink and provides actionable advice for forming authentic, enduring connections today. And we’re staying on the topic of friendship with our second book, Big Friendship, by Aminatou Sow and Ann Friedman. We chat about how this book inspired her Anna's work.If you’d like to reach out with your own recommendations or are a mental health practitioner interested in coming on to share, you can email us at booksfromyourtherapist@gmail.com.

In this episode, we’re talking to Robert Hilt, MD. Bob is a Professor in the UW Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences and a psychiatrist at Seattle Children’s Hospital. Bob talks to us about his journey from working as a pediatrician to leading The Partnership Access Line (PAL), a state-funded program providing mental health consultation for questions such as diagnostic clarification, medication adjustment or treatment planning. The books we discuss are Freeing Your Child from Anxiety by Tamar E. Chansky and The Eyre Affair by Jasper Fforde. In Freeing Your Child from Anxiety the reader can learn effective tools for teaching children and teens to outsmart their worries and take charge of their fears. And in The Eyre Affair the reader is taken on a whirlwind adventure to an alternate 1985, where literary detective Thursday Next pursues a master criminal through the world of Charlotte Brontë's 1847 novel Jane Eyre. If you could wander through the world of a novel, which one would you pick? If you’d like to reach out with your own recommendations or are a mental health practitioner interested in coming on to share, you can email us at booksfromyourtherapist@gmail.com.

This month, we’re talking to Adam James Cohen, a Marriage and Family Therapist about his upcoming book Second Adolescence: the Messessary path to queer adulthood, which based on his podcast Second Adolescence and also Two Boys Kissing by David LevithanAdam’s podcast Second Adolescence is all about the messy, exhilarating, awkward, healing-filled queer adulthood that comes after growing through first adolescence in an anti-queer world. Each episode features a queer person sharing about their experience growing up, discovering their identity, coming out, and living through their own Second Adolescence. Adam’s book, which is part memoir, provides a framework for what Second Adolescence is for queer people and how they move through it.And our second book, Two Boys Kissing by David Levithan is a young adult novel, inspired by true events, that follows two 17-year-old boys who set out to break a world record by kissing for 32 hours. This book weaves a number of multi-generational intertwining storylines together where characters are also discovering their own identity and coming out. If you’d like to reach out with your own recommendations or are a mental health practitioner interested in coming on to share, you can email us at booksfromyourtherapist@gmail.com.

This month, we’re talking to Cara Gereau, a Marriage and Family Therapist about Come Together: The Science (and Art!) of Creating Lasting Sexual Connections by Emily Nagoski, PhD and Dept. of Speculation by Jenny Offill. In Come Together, Emily takes on a fundamentally misunderstood subject: sex in long-term relationships. The book delves into the complexities of sexual connection, exploring both the scientific and emotional aspects of intimacy. And our second book, Dept. of Speculation, compliments Come Together well, as it offers a portrait of a marriage and ruminates on the mysteries of intimacy and trust. It’s a quick literary read but will definitely stay with you long after you’ve put it down.If you’d like to reach out with your own recommendations or are a mental health practitioner interested in coming on to share, you can email them at booksfromyourtherapist@gmail.com.

In this episode, Tara & Amanda talk to Ellen Turner, a Marriage and Family Therapist. They discuss modern life and balancing different demands for our time with Four Thousand Weeks: Time Management for Mortals by Oliver Burkeman and how to start thinking philosophically with Sophie's World: A Novel About the History of Philosophy by Jostein Gaarder.If you’d like to reach out with your own recommendations or are a mental health practitioner interested in coming on to share, you can email them at booksfromyourtherapist@gmail.com.